I chat with veteran New York Times reporter Paula Span about her popular The New Old Age column. Readers leave up to 500 comments on each one.
 Paula Span has been writing The New Old Age column for the NYT since 2009. That pretty much makes her an expert on the topic of aging, especially as Baby Boomers are experiencing it. Or as the Times puts it: the column "explores the unprecedented challenges posed by a rapidly aging population."
Paula, now 72, has no trouble saying, "I am an old person." In contrast, like a lot of Boomers, I have trouble saying that (although I'm getting more comfortable with it).
In the column, which runs bi-weekly, she covers topics as varied as stubborn aging parents, the relationship between senior debt and ill health, and the evolving status of medical aid in dying (MAID).
I fully confess: I am a New York Times junkie as well as a huge fan of Paula's. I've always regarded working for the Times as the holy grail of a journalism career. Alas, it was not to be for me. I took a different, mostly online path.
I invited Paula onto the [B]OLDER podcast for a peek behind the scenes of her popular column.
In this episode we talk about pernicious ageism and how she explores this broad topic for the NYT - not with personal opinion - but with research and data and expert interviews.
Paula also covers the topic of artful grandparenting in an occasional column and has published an audio book with Audible titled, "The Bubbe Diaries."
In addition, she is a revered professor at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism where she has taught for two decades.
Hope you enjoy this [B]OLDER episode with veteran journalist Paula Span.
Links to The New Old Age, Paula's Audible book on grandparenting, and some of her columns here.
Episodes you may have missed:
Season 4-EP18: A'lelia Bundles on Legacy, Leadership, and Growing Bolder at 70
Season 4-EP 8: Tom Peters on [B]OLDLY turning 80: His Childhood, His Outrage, His Passion, His Mission
Season 4-EP 7: Oliver Burkeman on Finitude and Completing a Few Meaningful Things
That's it for today.
With warm regards and hoping you are enjoying the beginning of summer (in the Northern Hemisphere).
Debbie
about | author | nonfiction writing coach
I help writers get unstuck
m: 202.255.1467
wordbiz@gmail.com
The [B]OLDER Podcast
Reinventing life and work and making the most of growing older.
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